You’ve survived results day, got into University, had a couple of weeks to celebrate and party your face off, and now it should be dawning on you… You’re going to Uni in a few weeks time. You’ll be moving away from home and into new digs with a bunch of strangers for a year – before you arrive on campus here’s your chance to use Facebook for something actually useful …

Although there’s a certain excitement about meeting your new housemates / coursemates when you get there, getting a jump on things and seeking them out on Facebook now has it’s advantages too. There’s no guarantee you’ll meet everyone, but the odds are you’ll be able to find a few of them at least and get a better idea of exactly what you’ll be facing when you arrive in a few weeks time.

Search Facebook for your Uni’s freshers 2010/2011 groups, join a few of them and see who’s chatting about your halls or subject. Most people will either write on the wall or start a discussion board thread with their halls / flat or subject. Don’t be shy, get involved, everyone is in the same boat. Adding housemates now gives you a chance to find out a little bit about them and share any concerns you might have. You’ll be able to find out how big your flat / building is, and find out if your in mixed accommodation as well as sorting out a few things like shared household items and just get a general feel for the people you’ll be living with for the next year …

You’ll also be able to talk about practical things like nights out and freshers balls, one of the big problems here is that loads of the big events will sell out very quickly. Chatting to your housemates on facebook now can ensure everyone is on the same page with what events you’re all up for going to … Adding a few coursemates can really help as well if you’re worried about anything work relate or just want a few people to sit with in the first few days. Just remember that you’ll meet people naturally anyway, and there’s a fine line between being friendly and being the course facebook-freak…